Problem/Objective: To build a statewide collaborative research program to study and translate information to impact youth tobacco use.

Methods: Created a research coalition including multiple universities and disciplines to research issues related to youth tobacco use. Convened regular meetings, required collaboration for grant funding eligibility, coordinated a research conference, and developed a research translation workgroup in conjunction with prevention professionals.

Results: Eight major public universities regularly attend meetings to share information and identify new resources and opportunities for collaboration. Funding from the Virginia Tobacco Settlement Foundation is leveraged to apply for larger NIH grants to continue work on youth tobacco prevention. Many universities collaborate and share data to enhance projects throughout the state. New faculty are attracted to the field of research related to tobacco prevention, cessation, and addiction. Prevention professionals working with youth have a greater understanding of research and an opportunity to give input into future research.

Conclusions: Requiring collaboration and establishing an infrastructure to support it is highly successful. This model encourages universities to work together, reduces duplication of work, provides a mechanism to gather baseline data for larger grants, encourages the sharing of data and resources, and helps communicate findings to prevention professionals for use in local communities. It also provides an opportunity for researchers to connect with prevention leaders for community-based research projects.